Chapter 9:

 

Whenever I thought of the game I remember the saying that “it’s the thought that counts” but in the game “it’s the that counts”. I wondered why teens like us these days like so much. Well, we were counted on that but that was years ago. We’d matured. We were never the same deprive teens.

 

Maybe because the last time I had, it was so not great that I dreaded that someone will be much worse than him. And why were we talking about my life anyway?

 

A week had passed and the three kings had chosen the lucky ones. Well, there was a rule that you had to be seducing one for you to be chosen and since we didn’t do anything for the whole week, we were not included in the lucky ones. And so they chose Nina for Seungri, Kath for Top and who did you think Jiyong chose?

 

Drum roll please…. He chose no one. And yes, we all thought that they had to choose but it stated in a written agreement that the king had the power to not choose anyone. And since no one was chosen between Minzy and Victoria… all eyes were on us, especially to me.

 

“Have you seen that coming?” CL asked. “The king didn’t choose?”

 

“We were there, . And yeah, I’m curious about it too. But maybe he already done it with them and doesn’t want it to repeat,” I said while putting my food in the tray.

 

“Maybe, they were not good in bed,” Aunt Sallie, the cafeteria lady, butted in our conversation.

 

“Do you think so, Aunt Sallie?” Bom asked.

 

“I don’t know but is there any other reason?” she replied.

 

Then the two girls looked at me. I scowled at them. “Definitely not,” I told them to stop but typical of them, they didn’t. Jiyong and I were only having a bet of who drops first. It was nothing more than that.

 

“It is never going to be us. And he’s paying so much attention on you,” CL said.

 

“Oh stop it! I appreciate…”

 

Jiyong cut me off and said, “What would you appreciate?”

 

We all looked at him and behind him were the two guys who were being loathed by the girls now. “I would appreciate if I won’t see you but I think I was late in saying that,” I expressed sarcastically.

 

He smirked.  And he was going to say something when… “The girls had signed their bras and we are going to post them in the bulletin board. Seungri and Top exchange high fives and the two girls were fuming inside.

 

“Good job, Seungri and Top. I wonder if you will get a winning streak,” I said tauntingly.

 

“And why?” Seungri asked.

 

I looked back and saw the girls grinning.

 

CL came up to Seungri and smiled like a fool. “What?” She shouted. Seungri cringed in her shout and was surprised looking at CL wide eyed. “Did I just hear that right? That Nina was so lame in bed that you have to put some effort.”

 

The whole cafeteria gasped.

 

“Wow! Did you just say that Seungri?” I said.

 

“No, I didn’t. What are you saying?” Seungri held CL’s shoulder and shook her while saying that.

 

“Oh my! Top, you too thought like that,” Bom said shocked in horror. Top looked at her. “My gosh! You thought that Nina was better than Kath because you got bored in her,” she added.

 

“What the hell are you saying?” Top grumbled.

 

I turned around and saw him watching me. I raised a brow at him and an idea hit me. My lips twitched in excitement. “Geez, not you too Jiyong,” I said. He arched a brow at me. “Oh my! Is that why you didn’t choose because you knew they were not good in bed?” I asked.

 

The whole room couldn’t believe what they were hearing but since they thought we were the princesses, that they should believe us. They were chattering non-stop like it was the new worth subject to talk about.

 

But what was entertaining was that we caused another riot in the group. Nina and Kath were wrestling on the floor. They were shouting insults at each other, and then grabbing each other’s hair from any direction. I bit my finger to stop myself from laughing at what we had caused.

 

But Minzy was nowhere to be found. She was not in the class earlier too. And what surprised me that, it was Victoria, the two were with but not Barbie. What happened to her? Ooh! I felt it. Someone was watching us, three, and it was not that the guys. I didn’t let it showed that I’m aware of their presence. Now, something was really off.

 

“Are you already sorry? That’s why you were already frowning,” Jiyong whispered in my ear.

 

I didn’t turned around because I knew the moment I looked it was going to be a disaster. I didn’t answer but I smirked. Then I just went to my seat like nothing was happening in the floor. And I’m not counting that some people will stop them, which never happen in here.

 

CL and Bom followed me. We took our usual seat and ate quietly. “What’s bothering you?”  Bom asked.

 

I shook my head twice which meant that we will talk at home. Then we resumed our eating. The whole fight lasted for a whole thirty minutes without anyone breaking them apart except when the two of them pulled out their guns.

 

Jiyong pulled them away from each other. It was because there was a rule in this school that no shooting will be allowed except when trespassers enter the school premises.

 

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“We will use my car,” I said pulling out my keys in my pocket.

 

They looked at me worriedly but nodded. They called their family driver to get their cars in school. We were in total silence for five minutes and Bom can’t bear it anymore. I grabbed my notebook and pen and started writing.

 

Someone was watching us earlier.

 

They looked at me. “Really now? Start talking Dara,” CL said.

 

“I’m serious in driving. Don’t bother me,” I replied. I wrote again. Careful! We may be tapped right now.

 

“What the hell! You’re really good in driving. So what happened in school?” Bom said.

 

“I was already bored in their catfight. And I can’t use my phone because there is no signal frequency at our spot.” If they decipher it, it means that; don’t use your phone and maybe they were catching their frequencies.

 

“Yeah, I almost didn’t receive my message. It was the answers on the test earlier,” CL mumbled annoyed.

 

“Speaking of test how was the result of the previous test?” Bom said.

 

“I just won by a point difference,” CL answered.

 

“Then, how much is the pot?” Bom asked.

 

“It’s just small,” I replied. Bom scowled at me. “It was only fifty,” I lied. It was 150 but Bom nodded.

 

We were already in the house. We were walking through the door when someone shouted. We all looked back and saw a battered Minzy. She was so full of bruised.

 

“This is your entire fault,” Minzy accused.

 

“What are you saying?” I asked.

 

“You ruined my life. No! They ruined it but you’re included in there,” Minzy said.

 

“Are you intoxicated?” I implied.

 

Minzy smiled. “What if I am? It got nothing to do with you,” she said swaying while she walked towards us. She didn’t reach us because she collapsed in the grass.

 

We ran to her, just in time to catch her head.

 

CL cursed in blue streak in surprise.

 

We decided to carry her inside the house. As we entered, I looked around carefully and sensed that something was wrong at the house. I shove the thought away for a moment. We walked towards the sofa and dropped the unconscious Minzy.

 

I searched gently through the house while giving orders. “Get me some bowl of warm water with soap and a small towel,” I shouted. CL went to the kitchen while Bom went upstairs. “Bom, while you are there get her some change of clothes,” I said.

 

“Okay,” Bom answered back.

 

CL went back with the bowl then Bom threw me the towel. I soaked the towel then twisted it to dry. I wiped her dirty body, which was literal.

 

“Should I cook some soup?”  CL asked.

 

“Yeah, and get the bowl in the cupboard. They were twelve; count them because Bom might have broken one,” I said. It means that there were twelve wire tapped in the first floor.

 

“Okay,” CL said. She walked towards the kitchen like they were not looking for something. A minute later, “I got six. Where are the others?” she asked.

 

“They were upstairs,” Bom shouted. “There were two in Dara’s room and two on yours and two on mine. And I didn’t break anything,” she said.

 

“I’m suspicious on that,” I replied teasingly.

 

Bom chuckled and walked down the stairs. “You can check in my room if you want too,” she replied haughtily.

 

“Give me the clothes and I will get her change,” I said.

 

We all gawked at her bruises. They were worse.

 

I gasped when I saw the big dark line in her back. “Did they hit her with a baseball bat?” I asked. Damn! She was a damn girl for sake. Who was in the right mind to do that to a girl?

 

“It looks like it,” CL said.

 

When I was done dressing her, I stood up. “Come on. Let her rest for a while and leave her in peace.” I ushered them in the kitchen.

 

“Let’s eat. I’m starving,” Bom grumbled.

 

We laughed at her. Typical of her.

 

“What do you think happened to her?” CL asked curiously.

 

“Got and beaten?” Bom replied while munching a mouthful of food.

 

“That’s kind of eerie, don’t you think?” I told them and they agreed.

 

“Maybe she was beaten by her gang?” Bom supplied another what if.

 

“Maybe, but why? Did she break the rules? And she said, ‘It’s their fault and we were included’. Then why is she blaming us?” CL said.

 

“She is crazy,” Bom answered.

 

“I’m not crazy,” Minzy said entering like a zombie. “I got beaten…”

 

We cut her off.

 

“If it’s about your gang, don’t say it. We don’t want to get involve,” I said. Well, we were being listened to right now. So if it was outsiders and she blurted something confidential then we were dead. If it was other gangs, we were going to be killed too.

 

Minzy laughed. “So you were a coward?” she mocked.

 

I grinned. “If being coward is making me stay alive then I am. Please, we are just normal students. We are not part of any,” I said horrified but I was grinning at her.

 

“You really pissed me off,” Minzy spat.

 

The doorbell in the garage rang. CL jumped out of her seat and opened the door. Uncle Rino and Uncle Glen were the drivers of CL and Bom, accordingly. They were standing, holding up the keys of the vehicles of CL and Bom.

 

I jumped out of my seat then hugged them both. “I miss the two of you.” I pointed them. “But Uncles, can you please stay here for tonight?” I used my puppy eye.

 

“Why?” Rino asked.

 

“She got beaten and we are afraid that the person is still lurking near here,” I acted scared.

 

CL and Bom got what I wanted and asked them too. And of course, they couldn’t say no to us.

 

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I didn’t have a good sleep that night. I was worried that someone will attack us or abduct us. This was the first time that we loosen our guards because we wanted to have freedom and I guessed it was not the best idea.

 

I wonder if they were outsiders or insiders. If they were outsiders, they were safe but if they were insiders, they needed to be out of my sight before I knew who they were. I suddenly sat up and made me wide awake. 

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-nuna02